NO. 2 MISSOURI VALLEY DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM — WEDEL 4I and for paleontological work with the University of Nebraska State

Museum.

All these State agenciesconducted field work, in varying degree, during _1947.

The

Nebraska State Historical Society carried on archeological excavationsatMedicine Creek Reservoir

from

July25 toSeptember 10. This

work was

under the personal supervision of A. T. Hill, directorof the

museum, who was

assistedbystudentsandlocalwork- men. Excavationswere

made

chiefly at

two

sitesnear theproposed location of the dam, with test

work

at several other points in the future reservoirarea.

Near

the west endof the proposed

dam

axis, onsite

2SFT16,

thefloorsof

two

rectangular,semisubterraneanearth lodges

were

uncovered.

The

floorswere approximately 30 feetlong, slightly less inwidth,andlayata

maximum

depthofabout 18 inches underground.

Each had

a central ^firepit, post molds showing four primary roof supports and others showing straight walls, rounded corners,andacoveredentrancepassage openingto the south.

From

thefloorsandthefill immediatelyabove,and

from

cacheswithin

and

nearbymiddens outsidethe structures,

were

recovered pottery frag- ments, chipped- and ground-stone work, shell

and

bone artifacts, charred corn, and refuse animal bone.

The

materials can probably be safely assignedtothe prehistoric semihorticultural

Upper

Republi- can horizon.

Just above the

mouth

of

Lime

Creek,

some

2 miles northwest of theproposed

dam

site,a thirdhousefloor

was

openedatsite

25FT28.

Except in its

somewhat

smaller size, this differed in no important particularfromthoseat site

25FT16.

Several restorable vesselswere found on the floor, along with other artifacts and miscellaneous materials, and these again indicate an

Upper

Republican complex, though with

some

variationsin details.

Limitedtestswere

made

atothersites inthelocality.

The

materials collected andthe basic field datawere placed at the disposal of the River Basin Surveys officeat Lincoln for processing

and

study.

As

indicated elsewhere in this report, archeological excavations were continued in the Medicine Creek area by the River Basin Surveys aftercessation of the

work

bythe NebraskaState Historical Society.

A

^one-dayreconnaissanceoftheproposedBellwood

and

ShellCreek Reservoirs

was made

by Dr.J. L.

Champe,

University of Nebraska LaboratoryofAnthropology,and

Mr.

Hill,of the Historical Society.

Subsequently, rapid preliminary reconnaissance

was made

of the proposedClearwater, Loretto, DavisCreek,Cushing,and

Plum

Creek Reservoirs in the

Lower

Platte Basin, by Dr.

Champe

in

company

with Dr. T. E. White, paleontologist for the River Basin Surveys.

42

SMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS

COLLECTIONS VOL. Ill

As

specialconsultant forthe River Basin Surveys, Dr.

Champe

also spent approximately i

week

as observer at State-sponsored excava- tionson

Lime

CreekintheMedicine Creek Reservoirarea.

The

University of Nebraska State

Museum

carried on extensive investigationson

Lime

Creek, a small westerly tributaryof Medicine Creek lyingwithin the areato befloodedby theproposed reservoir.

One

fossil quarry

and

three sites

where

archeological materials are reportedinassociationwithfossilbones

were

worked. Theseinvesti- gationswere underthe supervision of Dr. C. B. Schultzand

W.

^D.

Frankforter.

The

fossil quarry is attributed to the very late Pliocene period.

Several

new

forms of extinct

mammals

are reported to have

come from

it,including theskullof a well-preserved saber-toothcat atfirst

pronounced bythoseinchargeof the

work

tobe amarsupialof South

American

type. Additionallightispromised onpaleontologicalprob- lems of the Pliocene-Pleistocene transitional period,

when

detailed analysis ofthe findings herewillhave been made.

Of

interestto archeologists

no

lessthanto paleontologists are the finds atthreesitessituatedinthe basalportions of a terraceidentified bytheUniversity

Museum

investigators asRepublicanRiver Terrace 2 and assigned a late Pleistocene dating.

At

the principal locality, site

25FT41,

evidences of former

human

activityoccurinadark-gray stratum 47^^feetbelowthe terrace surface (pi. 8, fig. i). Thispre- sumablyrepresents the valleyfloor at thetimeof

human

occupation.

The

overburdenconsistsofsiltsandloess,theupper17 feetofwhich have beencorrelatedtentativelywiththe Bignellloess,thoughttohave beendepositedduringthe

Mankato

stageoftheWisconsinglaciation.

Points are saidtohave beenfoundinsitu;inaddition,therewereleaf- shapedandotherblades, endscrapers, knives,fragmentsofagrooved sandstone "shaft-smoother,"

numerous

flakes, spalls, cores, and mis- cellaneous rejectage.

Worked

bone and antler are also reported.

These were associated with bones of

some

17

mammalian

forms, as well asthose ofreptiles,birds,and amphibians. Preliminaryobserva- tions "suggest distinct differences between several of the fossil and

modern

forms, but positive identification

must

wait for further preparationand comparisons."

The

^fullreportonthisimportantsite isawaited with keeninterest.

Typologically,

few

of theartifactsseemto differmarkedly

from many

of thosefoundin laterpottery-bearinghorizons of the region.

Among

the individuals

who

have actually visited the site, there are rather

marked

discrepancies in interpretation as regards the apparent age

and

the relationships of the archeological remains. It seems obvious

NO. 2 MISSOURI

VALLEY DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM — WEDEL

43 that a manifestation vi^ith the potential importance indicated here shouldbethoroughlyinvestigatedbytrainedspecialists inarcheology, as well as bygeologists, paleontologists, and soils experts.

A com-

bined attack with all interested disciplines represented

would

doubt- less remove

many

of thedoubts anduncertainties that

now

surround the findings, and wouldenable the site or sites to be placed in their proper geologicaland archeological setting.

SOUTH DAKOTA

In South Dakota, there

was

no formal cooperative arrangement betweenFederalandlocalagencies forscientificsalvage

work

in 1947.

Archeological investigations were carried on by State-supported agencies, however, and mostof this

work was

in areas thatwill be affected by the Federal water-control program.

A summary

of the findings is included therefore in thisreport.

Field

work

from June 10to September i

was

sponsoredjointlyby theUniversity of South Dakota

Museum,

Vermillion,and thenewly created South Dakota Archaeological Commission, Pierre.

Funds

forthis

work came

partly

from

theState,and partlybyprivate sub- scription. E. E. Meleen

was

in chargeof the field operations, with

W. H. Over

actingina general supervisingcapacity.

From

June ^{10 to} June 30, excavations

were

carried on at the

LaRoche

site, about 25 miles southeast of Pierre onthe right

bank

of the Missouri River in southeastern Stanley County. Situated on a low terrace and

marked

by inconspicuous refuse-littered mounds, thissite isexpectedtobe inundatedbytheproposed Big

Bend

Reser- voir.

Two

circular lodge sites

were

opened, each characterized by four center post molds, a central firepit, and a formerly covered entryway opening toward the southeast. Potsherds,

and

objects of chipped and ground stone, bone, horn, shell,

and

catlinite were re- covered. Charred corncobswerequite

common,

predominantlyof the lo-row variety.

The

pottery shows

many

similarities to that

from

protohistoric

Pawnee

village sites on the

Loup

River in central

Ne-

braska, as well as to that from the upper levels ofthe Scalp Creek villagesiteinGregory County,S. Dak.

From

July ⁱ to July23,

work was

conducted at the

Somers

site,

ona highbluffabout 2 milesnorthwestof the

LaRoche

site,inStanley County.

Here numerous

house pits are still visible, although the former village living level is buried beneath 54 ^{inches or}

more

of fine wind-blown dust. Limited

manpower

combined with the heavy overburden prevented

more

than a light sampling of the site.

Two

44 SMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS

COLLECTIONS VOL. Ill contiguous walls of onelodgemeasuring 25feet inwidth by 36feet inlengthwereuncovered,anda portion ofonewallina second. Both indicateda rectangular pit-houseform,apparentlywithstraightwalls andslightlyroundedcorners. Well-preservedsectionsofcedarhouse posts, from which it

may

be possible ultimately to determine the date ofoccupancy, wererecovered. Potteryfragmentswererelatively plentiful; mostof the sherdshave cord-roughened surfaces,

and

the general impression is one of close relationships to the prehistoric

Upper

Republican

complex

of

Nebraska and

Kansas. Other items found include bison-scapula hoes

and

charred cobs indicating a horticultural subsistence basis; bone fishhooks, awls, bone and shell disk beads, flakers, small, well-made notched

and

plain triangular projectile points, scrapers, leaf-shaped quartzite knives, and ^drills.

Many

of these items are also reminiscent of the

Upper

Republican horizonfarther south,anda basic relationshipisimplied,even though the house types suggest possible eastern connections or influences.

It seems safeto concludethatthe

Somers

siterepresentsan earlier time periodanda differentcultural

complex from

that manifestedat LaRoche.

At

neither

was

there evidence of contactwith Europeans.

Following

work

atthe

Somers

site, operations

were

transferredto the

Thomas

Riggssite,ontheleft

bank

of the Missouri abovePierre in

Hughes

County. This site, which will beflooded by

Oahe Dam,

had been investigated briefly in 1940

by

the University of South

Dakota Museum

and

Works

Progress Administration. In 1947, the excavation of a largesemisubterraneanlodgesitebegunin 1940

was

completed. Rectangularinshape,thishouse

was

outlinedbyadouble

row

of post molds and charred posts along each of the

two

longer sidesandasinglelargepost (12inches) inthe centeratthe rearend (east)and

two

atthefront,one on eachsideof theentrywayor

ramp

leading

down

onto the lodge floor. This structure

was

found to be 65 feetlongby 36feetwide.

From

the limited

amount

of potteryand other materialgathered

from

the site, connections withthe

Mandan

are suggested. These, however, are highly tentative; like the data

from LaRoche

and Somers, further information and

more

detailed analysisthanhas sofarbeenpossibleisneededbeforewider relation- shipsof the peoples representedcan besuggested.

NORTH DAKOTA

In

North

Dakota, an archeological field session

was

sponsored jointlybytheDepartmentofSociology

and

Anthropology,University of North Dakota, andthe

North Dakota

Historical Society.

A

^party

NO. 2 MISSOURI

VALLEY DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM — WEDEL

₄₅ of sixstudents, underthe leadership of Dr.

Gordon W. Hewes,

de- voted6 weekstothe investigation ofsites inproposedreservoir areas on Heart River and on the Missouri.

From June

25toJuly ^ithisexpedition

worked

intheHeart Butte Reservoir areainGrant County, south of GlenUllin. Limitedexca- vations

were made

in a pottery-bearing deposit

(32GT1)

on the northbankof theHeartRiver,about3 milesupstream

from

the

dam

site. Here, ina stratumreaching a thickness of 2 to3 ^feetormore, were foundtracesof formeroccupationbyagroupof bison-hunting, semisedentarypeople,

whose

pottery tradition

was

quite similartothat of the

Mandan

and Hidatsa. Objects of ground stone, bone, horn, shell,wood, andother materials wereabsent orveryscarce;chipped- stone

work

includedend scrapers,drills, blades,andpoint fragments.

No

evidence of earth-lodgehabitations,of agriculture,or of contact with white people were found.

From

the abundanceof their bones, bison seemtohave beenthe chief food item,but there

was

alsocon- siderable use of river mollusks. It is suggested that this site, pre- viously

recommended

for excavation by a reconnaissance party of the River Basin Surveys,

may

represent a

camping

place occupied seasonally by huntingparties of the

Mandan

or Hidatsa,

whose

vil- lages lay50or

60

milestotheeastontheMissouri River.

Surveys

made

concurrently with the excavations located a small rockshelter

(32GT5)

near the

dam

site.

From

the verythin floor deposit

came

a

few

pieces ofchipped chalcedony and fragmentsof a single pottery vessel of late

Mandan-Hidatsa

type. Fallen slabs in front of the shelter, underlaidbycultural debris, suggestthat addi- tionaldata

may

beburiedbeneaththe collapsed front roof of a once deeper shelter.

Upstream from

the

camp

site

was

found a rather extensive deposit of bison bones, evidently representing the debris of ahuntingdriveor"kill." Thisdeposit,

now

buriedby 12to13feet ofoverburden,

was

exposedfor nearly 500feetalong theriverbank;

noartifactswerenoted.

On

higherground, abovethe future reservoir level,

was

found a chalcedony quarry; scattered spalls and a

few

chippedimplementstestify totheuse of the materialbythe Indians.

From

Heart River, the expedition

moved

to Fort Yates on the Standing

Rock

IndianReservation. Excavations were undertakenin an earth-lodgevillage site (32SI4) 7 miles south of Fort Yates, on therightbankof theMissouri River. Like an undetermined

number

of othersalong thestream south of Bismarck, thissitewill be inun- dated eventuallyby the proposed

Oahe

Reservoir.

On

thebasis of surface sherd collections, it had been previously ascribed by

North

Dakota workersto the"Archaic

Mandan"

horizon. Surface remains

46 SMITHSONIAN MISCELLANEOUS

COLLECTIONS VOL. Ill Otherwise consist of a

number

of bowl-like depressions varying in depth

up

to 3 ^feetor

more and

in diameter

up

to approximately 50 or60 feet. Thereisnoevidence of a protective ditch or

embankment.

Preliminary excavations in several of the depressions disclosed ash-filled fireplaces

and

rather poorly defined floor levels, indicating the former presence of semisubterranean house structures. Test pits invarious other parts of thesiterevealedfoodcaches, secondarily used for refuse disposalby the Indians.

Most

of the 5 weeks spent atthe locationwere devotedtoexaminationof the feature represented bythe largestsurface depression.

Removal

of thefillwithin the depression

showed

thatthe structure which once stood herehad been subrectangularinoutline,measuring approximately 35 by 65 ^{feet. Circular} discolorations in the floor

marked

the positions of the four rows of posts outlining the house area.

A

^{single small pole}

^was

^recovered

^from

^{one side,but mostof}

the posts seem to have been

removed when

the structure

was

aban- doned.

From

the position of the post molds,itissuggested that there

was some

sortof long centralhallinthestructure.

The

arrangement ofonelargeand

two

smallfireplaces,the scarcity ofhouseholdrefuse, the presence of three piles of bison bones (mostly

unburned

skull parts and horncores) on the floor, and the exceptional size of the structure as

compared

to other depressions

on

the site, suggest that

it

may

have been usedprimarily forceremonial or otherspecialpur- poses.

Two

largepots,brokenbutrestorable,

were

recovered. Agri- culture can beinferred

from

discovery of several bison-scapulahoes and a fragment of carbonized maizecob, but bison appear to have been a

major

dietary item.

No

^burials were encountered, nor

was

thereanyevidence of trade contactswithwhitemen.

Materials found duringexcavation include

some

bonetools,incised bone ornaments,

two

circularshellbeads,

numerous

smallendscrapers, afew sidescrapers, projectilepoints, knives,choppers, scapula hoes,

"squashknives," bison-ribbeamers,afragmentof carbonized corncob, and

much

animal-andbird-bone refuse.

Pottery

was

notabundantonthe site,but

from some

of the refuse pits and the fill of the structure excavated

came

a fair sample.

A

rather complex problemispresented. In additiontotypes that seem clearly in the tradition which culminated in the historic

Mandan-

Hidatsa wares farther upriver, there are

numerous

fragments that suggestborrowings from, or

more

direct relationships with,

Upper

Republican, Mill Creek, Cambria, and perhaps western or "Prairie"

Hopewellian traditions.

The

site evidently falls

somewhere

in the prehistoricperiod of development of

Upper

Missouri village Indian